David Moyes considers Carlos Alcaraz as new Everton striking option

David Moyes

Carlos Alcaraz

Everton manager David Moyes is preparing to use the international break to explore a tactical shift. The manager is considering deploying Carlos Alcaraz in an advanced role to support Thierno Barry up front.

Carrying a heavy burden

Barry has enjoyed a positive start to the campaign with five goals in seven appearances. Following the departure of Beto and a failed pursuit of Folarin Balogun, the young Frenchman has been left to shoulder the attacking responsibility alone.

Moyes has been satisfied with his contributions despite a few missed chances against Manchester United, Bournemouth and Ipswich Town. Statistics show his tally trails his expected goals figure slightly.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo ahead of the Ipswich fixture, Moyes said:

We want to keep encouraging him. We don’t have many others.

He added:

I think that we need Thierno and we want to keep his confidence up. He works hard and gets annoyed with himself when it doesn’t go [well], so there’s some good signs from him.

Searching for alternatives

The manager knows he cannot rely on his main centre-forward to play every single minute of every match. While Brennan Johnson has filled in during recent fixtures, his natural home is out wide on the flank.

Other squad members are stepping up to ease the congestion in wide areas. The recent progress of youngster Tyler Dibling and the eventual return of Merlin Rohl will provide much-needed depth for the Merseyside club.

Addressing his squad limitations, Moyes told the Liverpool Echo:

“I’m also mindful about [Barry] having to play the best part of the 90 minutes in games. We’ll have a break and we might have a [behind] closed doors game which might give us a chance to have a look at other things possibly and see if there’s other options for us.”

Alcaraz steps into the frame

Alcaraz made a telling impact from the bench to secure a Carabao Cup victory against Wolves. The coaching staff now intend to test his suitability as a partner for Barry during training sessions at Finch Farm.

Carlos Alcaraz. Photo: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Discussing the tactical flexibility within his squad, Moyes told the Liverpool Echo:

Charly could be one of them if we needed it. I was concerned we were going to try and make a couple of changes and I knew I could always move Brennan back to wide right or wide left if I needed to. My plan was to bring Charly on anyway.

Barry managed to find the net against Ipswich before the break, easing some immediate pressure. However, finding a viable Plan B remains a priority for the coaching staff as they navigate the remainder of the campaign.